Fourth "Narnia" Film Is "Magician's Nephew"

Though first mentioned a month ago as the likeliest possibility, it's now confirmed that Walden Media is proceeding with development of a fourth film in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series.

However, rather than adapting the next book in the series "The Silver Chair" as many expected, the filmmakers have jumped to "The Magician's Nephew" - the sixth book published but a standalone entry that essentially serves as a prequel to the other stories.

Set in London 1900, the story follows youngsters Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer who, through the use of magical rings and a woodland filled with pools, are able to travel to various worlds.

The Biblical metaphors tie back to Genesis as we see the creation of Narnia, the introduction of the White Queen, and the creation of the lamp post and the wardrobe (Digory is the young version of Jim Broadbent's character in "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe").

Walden's Micheal Flaherty says "If we can all agree to move forward, then what we would do is find someone to write the script. So, it could still be a couple of years."

The first film in the series scored $291 million domestically and $453 million internationally. The second dropped considerably to $141 million domestically and $278 million internationally.

The recent third film saw a considerable budget reduction and was generally panned in reviews. Yet while domestically it flopped with a disappointing $104 million, internationally it actually grew from the last film with a $300 million haul.